Mud, sweat and tears were abundant at the Junior Tough Guy and Gal Challenge in Kumeu, north of Auckland.
A total of 1100 kids from primary schools all over Tamaki Makaurau sloshed, squelched, scrambled and stumbled through 6km of bog, pond and paddock in the 80 acres (32.4ha) of the Kumeu Showgrounds just for sheer fun.
Wednesday's event was the start of four days of similarly exhausting racing. The secondary school kids, Years 9-13, get their run over two days, Thursday and Friday, in the Massey University Secondary School Tough Guy and Gal Challenge.